We have just launched a new mobile version of this site - m.trainspots. This page will use your smart device's GPS to loctate you and guide you to locations that are close to your present location.

Location notes

Aspley Guise is located on the Bedford-Bletchley line, between the stations of Woburn Sands and Ridgmont, on the northern outskirts of village it serves. The platforms are staggered either side of the crossing, with those for Bletchley bound traffic to the west of the crossing. There is a small waiting shelter on platforms which can provide shelter from sudden downpours.

Railway type and traffic

The Bedford Bletchley line is operated by London Midland trains that run a mostly hourly service between the two stations, with all trains stopping at all of the stations on route, Monday to Saturday. Trains stop by request at Kempston Hardwick. There are no scheduled passenger trains on Sunday. These are operated by a small fleet of sprinter 150/1 units.There are a number of freight workings, the most numerous being DB Schenker departmental workings to and from Forders Virtual Quarry (just to the east of Stewartby station). These workings serve locations on both the WCML and MML.There is also a Tuesday and Friday, at the time of writing, morning Bletchley to Peak Forest stone empties, which leaves Bletchley between 10:20 and 10:40 - although earlier and later timings have been noted.

Environment

This small station is on the very northern outskirts of Aspley Guise, with most of the housing and light industry hidden behind trees to the south, and open fields to the north. Few people use the station. There is a small waiting shelter on the platforms which can provide shelter from sudden downpours. The old crossing cottage is still standing on the north-west side of the site, although it is currently empty.

Road directions

From the M1, Junction 13:Exit and head south on the A507. Continuing on this road (and ignoring the popular turn to Leighton Buzzard and Bedford), brings one into the village of Aspley Guise. Take the first road on the right, called Church Street, and follow this road to the station.

This is a small parking space to the north of the station, although there are many potholes and it's quite overgrown. It is probably best to park on the road leading to the station from the south.

Public transport

By far the easiest way to this location is to use the rail service from either Bletchley or Bedford. There are several, infrequent buses, all originating at Leighton Buzzard, including services 10 and 139 operated by Palmer and Litchfield respectively.

The Bedford Bletchley line is running mainly east-west, but slightly south-east to north-west at this point. Photography is probably best in the morning for east bound traffic, and best in the afternoon for west bound traffic. The line is very straight heading east from the station, but there is a sharp curve just to the west of the station.

This is the west facing view from the northern side of the line, on the Bedford bound platform, showing the long straight stretch of line.This was taken in July (although a dull day) at 13:20 with a 100mm lens.

Fig 2 - Looking west

This is the east facing view from the northern side of the line, on the Bedford bound platform, showing the curvature of the line and crossing gates.This was taken in July (although a dull day) at 13:20 with a 100mm lens.

Fig 3 - Looking west

This is the west facing view from the northern side of the line, on the Bedford bound platform, showing that the line can get interesting traction and some sun!This was taken in August at 19:00 with a 50mm lens.

The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.

This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.

Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.

Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.

The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.